Nitta No Kuni
'Cultural background: '''Nittan, some tarigani influences in the north. '''Language: '''Houshigo (official), Nittan (most of the population) '''Religious influences: 'Way of the Stars / Path of the Spirits hybrid, limited ancestor worship, mostly from the Ziaoism sect . '''Population: '''Main population centers are concentrated in the middle of the region, with mining towns dotting the north and fishing ports on the coast. '''Original settlement: '''Pre-imperial cities dotted the Nittan territory, most surrendered quickly to the First Mikado and have been growing since. '''Major exports: '''Oil, iron and steel, wine, grain '''Major imports: '''Lumber, horses, coal Climate and geography Nitta No Kuni, or more commonly known as Nittan for the natives, is the stretch of land north of the Faceless Jungle all the way to the Iron Shield mountain range, at the very southern end of the empire. The whole region is a mix of rolling hills, small valleys, plateaus and old mountain ranges, where warm, dry weather is the norm. While there are forests, they usually dry up during the summer, leaving only short, stout trees to dot the countryside. Even the winters are unusually dry, when opposed to any other region of the empire, and there is never any snow on the ground. Luckily, the rivers that split the land are always ready to quench the land, most of them originating from the Iron Shield Mountains and feeding off rain clouds from the Tarigani. The coastal region of Nitta No Kuni is a bit more lenient, with rain and cool wind coming from the sea, but the sea near the coast is filled with sharp rocks and sandbars, making navigation near it more dangerous than usual. Early Imperial History and expansion Nittan was originally a loose union of city-states that protected each other from invasions from the north (mostly ganizoku raiders) and the south (the ever present Faceless threat). The northern-most city-states mainly dealt in mining iron and copper to make weapons for their southern brethren, who produced grapes and olive that they sent back up north. Raising sheep and goats mostly, the people in the middle of the region traded a lot of their surplus food supply to ensure their security. The whole organization was run from Pandermina, on the coast, which had grown to become the dominant city-state after a few wars where their militaristic regime had established its superiority. Things never really went well for the Nittan, but they survived well-enough and were growing to become the dominant power in what would be the south of the empire, if not for the arrival of the First Mikado. Leading his troops from the jungle, fleeing the Faceless forces, the Mikado faced off with the Nittan nation first, his superior weapons and tactics, along with his incredible siege weapons, making short work of the Nittan defenses. Pandermina decided that it needed to oppose the new invader with all its might, but was surprised to see so many of their compatriots having sided with the First Mikado when came the time for the actual battle. Panderminan generals and tacticians were more of a challenge for the Mikado, but they were routed as well after being betrayed by two of their allied city-states. Having established himself as the new force in power in the region, the Mikado decided to rally his newfound forces and deal a decisive strike against the northern Faceless army, burning down one of their jungle city and securing the region for a few years. With this matter done and the faith of the Nittan people with him, he decided to move north and conquer what would be the rest of his empire. Nitta No Kuni, as it became known after the inclusion of the Tarigani people by the Empire and the standardization of the language and culture, grew from that point on. The former city-states became the stronghold of samurai warlords who were responsible for the defense of their province, with the southern cities turning into massive fortified castle-towns under the guidance of the Tiger family to prevent any pushes from the Faceless towards the North. While integration of the tarigani culture into Nittan can be seen in many ways, traditional Nittan culture is still dominant throughout the area and is reflected in its food, architecture, art and warfare. Unlike many of the other regions of the empire, Nitta No Kuni has a fully paved road system and a centralized post service, relics of the Panderminan domination. School and education is extremely important as well, and many cities compete with each other to attract the best new prospect for the military or bureaucratic organizations. Economy Nittan economy used to be based almost entirely on three things: iron, olive oil and wine. Olive oil is used in cooking around the empire, but is also used in the production of soap, as a fuel for lamps (even though the recent production of coal is replacing some of that usage), as a basic lubricant or even in many forms of medicine. Olive groves are a common sight across Nittan and employ a large portion of the peasant workforce, and various provinces compete to make the purest oil possible, but the southern part of the region is far more productive then some of the other regions. Iron production is concentrated along the Iron Shield Mountains, and Nittan iron is the basic ingredient in the production of just about every forms of steel in the empire. Copper used to be mined a lot in the mountains as well, but as the usage of copper dropped solidly over the years, it is no longer the primary activity in the region. Gold and silver mines do naturally occur in the Iron Shield Mountains as well, but they are fairly rare, and usually managed closely by the bureaucracy to make sure no issues occur with them. Wine production in Nittan is a family thing, dating from before the arrival of the Mikado, and the large estates of the wine producers were all gifted to those same families as they were raised to the ranks of the samurai caste. While merchants and traders deal with the day to day monetary affairs of those estates, their masters compete at a national level to make the best wine. Subsistence wheat farming was common across Nittan until the 8th or 9th century, when the introduction of Yunjin wheat (more resistant to weather changes, albeit a bit less sweet) to the area replaced the original Nittan wheat and allowed for larger scale operations. Rice farming is almost impossible in Nittan, but with the introduction of corn and barley in the region, large farms became more and more common, leading to a competition between grain farmers, olive farmers and wineries for available lands. Lands not used for direct farming are often used by herders, usually raising goats, sheep and some ponies. Goat milk is better for the people who are lactose intolerant, like the majority of the tarigani people, but the bitter taste makes it not really popular, but goat cheese is a common occurrence on the wealthier tables of the north, and even the poorest farmer’s table in the south. Nittan ponies, while not powerful or beautiful stallions, make wonderful work or riding horses, and as they are far cheaper to maintain, are a favorite amongst the merchant class or amongst the poorer samurai. Threats and military omnipresence As a highly populated area, Nitta No Kuni has very limited threats to its population. Faceless raids and armies are always a problem in the southern parts of the region, but the military establishment under the Great Tiger makes it very hard for them to ever cross the border in any meaningful ways. Banditry in the region is limited, mostly due to the decentralized military command based around each former city-state and the massive financing provided by the Tiger to the magistracy. Wild predators are usually controlled as well throughout the region, but the Iron Shields have their own species of tiger and mountain lion, while prairie lions are uncommon but can still be met at times. A few breeds of bears reside in the region as well, along with wild pigs and warthog, which rounds up the more dangerous pieces of fauna around. The coast is plagued with various sizes of sea crocodiles and snapping turtle. Military life is omnipresent in Nittan. Even with the Tiger having more or less closed the border to the Faceless invasions, it is a fact of life that the invader can come at any time, and even the peasantry is allowed to own some form of weaponry for self-defense. All able men (and women, in some areas) are forced to serve in the Ashigaru forces for 3 to 5 years, depending on their origins, and they are trained in fighting with spears, axes and javelins. Some ashigaru units are trained in the old Nittan way as well, combining a large steel shield with spear s to serve as a massive, unbreakable anvil to the Tiger’s elite infantry and cavalry hammer. Ashigaru units are mainly supplemental forces in the Nittan, as the samurai armies take care of the bulk of the fighting. Samurai armors in Nittan are always based on the traditional style, with a full breastplate along with a facemask-like helmet. “Tiger Samurai” is the typical name for samurai troops trained to fight at the border in the Great Tiger army, as opposed to regular samurai troops of northern Nittan lords. Those typical samurai soldiers are equipped in a similar to the tarigani troops, either with yari (the Jumon Yari being favored in Nittan as opposed to the Bishamon Yari) or naginatas, while a portion of the troops carry longbows and katana for close defense. Poleaxes have also gained in popularity with some units to compete with the Tiger Samurai, however. Tiger Samurai are armed with the best quality equipment available, and are trained to be able to respond to any form of threat as fast as possible. The Great Tiger spends a sizable portion of his fortune every few years to purchase the best horses possible for his riders, importing them from Yunjin. Foot soldiers usually are issued a tetsubo and a nodatchi as typical weapons, as a mean to penetrate the massive defense of some of the Faceless elite forces and mow down the weaker Faceless grunts. Cavalry forces are heavily armored and armed with various forms of spears, combined with a katana or dao, for definitive charges, and the Tiger forces were the first to introduce horse armor on the battlefield. Nittan traditional spear and shield samurais are very rare but still happen at times, especially for units trained to fight in mountain passes, and are usually fielded in combination to spear and shield ashigaru. Imperial legions stationed in Nittan are, on the other hand, usually the least organized and least trained, as the commanders rely almost entirely on the local forces to take care of trouble, and people assigned to the Nittan legions usually sees this as a mark of shame, or a sign of a easy life in the future. Culture Nittan culture is quite varied and changes depending on which city-state you really look at, but there are some standards. Almost all towns larger then a hamlet have an agora, an outside auditorium, where anyone can go and debate others or that serves as a theater for any production level. Theater is the one form of art that surpasses poetry, even though most theatrical pieces are done in a poetic style, albeit a very different one than the northern haikus, using iambic pentameters, amongst the Nittan population. Of course, debate and rhetoric is a national sport for the Nittan, and conversing with a Nittan in regards to anything can turn into a long-winded debate, even if your interlocutor agrees with you on the subject. Other popular sports in Nittan are combined in the discipline they call the Decathlon, ten sports that the locals view as holy: short foot race, long foot race, the marathon, long jump, high jump, hurdles, archery, javelin throw, wrestling and fencing. Decathlon competitions are help yearly near the city of Juliopolis, with the winner being showered with gifts or elevated to the status of the warrior caste, in the case of a peasant winner. Sculpture is the primary visual art in Nittan, far more popular than painting or wood carving, and the most popular theme remains the human body and military actions. Nittan houses are mainly built of stone and brick, with thatch roofing being popular for the poorer houses and the slates for richer members of society. Most meals are built around bread or a vegetable salad along with a piece of meat, along with cheese, washed down with wine of varying quality. Seafood is popular along the coast however, but mostly fish, which is preferred fried rather than raw or stewed. Nittan are probably the most xenophobic members of the empire, mostly due to their constant conflict with their southern neighbor. Even old friends, like the Tarigani, are sometimes regarded oddly by the locals when they are “too different” and Nittan from outside the region, usually having adopted local customs, can sometime feel ostracized. Chivalrous Organizations, while of Nittan origin in the plains, are very poorly viewed due to their actions and how they act as warriors while being simple traders.